Rapid Induction of Ferritin in Laboratory Animals Prior to Its Isolation

Abstract

Oral ingestion, by guinea pigs, of concentrated solutions of soluble hydroxy-iron(III) polymers rapidly induces a 7-fold increase of liver ferritin. Young guinea pigs imbibing 0.1 M iron for 2 weeks produced a significantly greater amount of ferritin than animals injected with an iron-dextran complex at 1.0 mmole Fe/kg body weight. Conventional methods for the isolation of tissue ferritin are more efficient and provide higher yields from such iron-replete animals. Dose/response curves are presented for the mouse to illustrate the kinetics of liver iron assimilation at various levels of oral iron supplementation.